Re: [CH] Cheese advice

Chet Bacon (chet@chetbacon.com)
Sun, 22 Oct 2006 19:15:41 -0400 

X is an unknown quantity and spurt is a drip under pressure.
But I would think the key to things are two fold.
The type of milk and when it is taken from the animal (goat, sheep, cow, 
whatever)
and the method is made under/with (rennet, retin, bacteria, temperature, 
humidity, etc.)
There was a story about a lost uncle of mine who figured he'd take some 
new cheese and age it - not a good thing as he didn't know what to do 
with it, it turned out nasty.  But he sold it anyway.. go figure for the 
1800's
I have had a small wheel in the fridge since 2000, all sealed up and 
tucked away - how will ti turn out?  I'll let you know in a few years.
Keep it cool, and stable with no drastic changes in either humidity or 
temp.  As with all things in life, start off with good product - sealed 
with wax and test it for longevity.  There are some really good up and 
coming cheeses in the USA.  Good blues and cheddars, I'd go with a good 
cheddar because that is what I grew up with and longevity makes it 
better (sharper).
Buy a 5 lb wheel from Cabot (Hunters or Private Reserve) and let it go 
for a year or five.
Brother Rael wid all hiz learn'n should have a comment as well.
Experiment.  As for Cabot Hab cheese - yum!  This I'd think not to age, 
the veggie matter would prolly go off before it aged properly.

Chet

Cameron Begg wrote:

> Hi Chet & CH's,
>
> Oh, this is way off topic, but we clearly have a cheese expert in our 
> midst. Would you all mind if I ask him a few questions and make a few 
> comments?
>
> Good, I knew you'd understand :-)
>
> Chet, most of the cheese that is made in the US sucks compared to the 
> stuff I was used to in Europe. *
>
> If I could find something properly made (A Wisconsin cheddar perhaps?) 
> how would you, as a cheese expert go about turning a fresh cheese from 
> there into an excellent cheese? Is over-wintering a cheese in the 
> garage worthwhile? Should I consider buying a lot of milk from then 
> stupormarket and doing then whole job - or is the really crucial part 
> of the process the ageing? I suppose I'm really asking: what is the 
> most economical/ least effort route to decent cheese?
>
> And is there an easy way to incorporate chile flavors into the cheese?
>
> Thank you in advance for your learned opinions.